After the College Years
by llacerta
Summary: After those fateful Scare Games in his freshman year, Randall's life at Monsters University is turned upside down. He pins his hopes on a new start at Monsters, Inc., but doesn't bank on having to deal with two old friends from his time at college...


**After the College Years**

I watched MU again the other night and, like many Randall fans, I spent most of it wishing that we could have seen just a little more of what went on with Randy both during and after the movie. I actually find MU quite a frustrating film to watch because of this, which is a shame, but it did make me want to write a little something for the first time in a while, which I guess is a good thing.

This is only going to be short- a couple of chapters at the most. This first chapter is more just an overview of everything that happens after the Scare Games up until Randall getting his job at MI.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hearts<em>?!"

Even though several years had passed, Randall would still wake up on the occasion with Johnny Worthington's incredulous voice ringing in his skull. It had, after all, been a turning point in his time at Monsters University- the point at which everything started going downhill. Rapidly.

Once it had been confirmed that Roar Omega Roar were indeed the runners-up of that year's Scare Games, Johnny had immediately made it clear that Randall was to cut all ties with the fraternity. Randall was still incensed by Sulley's 'interference' during his scare but didn't need telling twice. He had left the stadium, grumbling under his breath, fire burning in his belly. This was all Sullivan's fault: if that fur-rug hadn't been such a show off Randall's scare would've kept the RORs in the lead!

But the longer he walked, the more his anger gave way to sadness and disappointment. He was starting to realise that everything he had worked for that year had been wiped away in one fell swoop.

Soon he had arrived at the ROR's fraternity house. Randall wasn't to know it then, but this would be the last time he'd step foot inside what he had called home those past few months.

He quickly packed up his stuff, all of his matching purple belongings (for which his frat brothers endlessly teased him) and hurried out of the house. He'd left his jumper behind in the stadium, so that was that. With one last glance at the ominous architecture of frat row's most famous abode, Randall sighed and made his way to MU's domestic office. Hopefully they'd have a spare room available somewhere.

And indeed they had, and so began Randall's relatively tamer period at Monsters University. Whilst his first couple of semesters had been a whirlwind of meeting new people, studying for exams, and joining a fraternity (of all things!), the subsequent semesters were grey and dull.

Immediately after the Games he found himself to be the centre of a lot of teasing and attention- Johnny's campaign to get everyone to call him the 'Love Lizard' or, more simply, 'Hearts' had been overwhelmingly successful- but for once he was glad of Mike and Sulley's antics which quickly dominated the campus gossip. Nevertheless, he found himself unable to be taken seriously and was the frequent target of small-scale practical jokes. Indeed, Valentine's Day became a time of dread...

At first, it really got to him. He'd never been particularly comfortable amongst the RORs; they spent most of their time poking fun at him. But he figured this was just a case of working his way up the ranks, and as the newest member he had always expected to be ripped apart a little. At least he'd been one of them, and as a group they were respected. People listened to him when he was a ROR- at least, more so than before. He hadn't been quite as invisible as usual.

Yet after the Scare Games, Randall had wished for invisibility. Sometimes he'd walk to class invisible just so he wouldn't get the usual glances and sniggers that seemed to follow him around. It wasn't a habit he wanted to get into- his mother had always warned him of the danger of spending _too _much time blended- but sometimes he just wanted to be left alone.

He became more withdrawn, less able to introduce himself to new people, less confident. But all the meanwhile, that fire in his belly burned. The one thing that really kept him going was knowing that Wazowski and Sullivan had been expelled. Thank goodness for _that_, at least.

Randall's withering confidence affected him in the classroom, too. The finals of his freshman year consisted of both written and practical exams, and whilst he generally excelled in the former, the latter had become a struggle. He'd done well that first time, after the incident with Sullivan knocking over Hardscrabble's canister. Not fantastically well, it had to be said, but a solid performance- an indicator that he had potential, at least. His blending ability and emphasis on stealth had been lauded as bringing something 'new and refreshing' to the proceedings.

But his freshman finals had been quite different. Up there on stage, all eyes in the lecture theatre on him, he was brought back to the last time, at the Scare Games- when it had all gone wrong. Panic rose up into his throat and his roar was weak, lacking in conviction. It was enough to pass- just- but a disappointing performance.

Randall had been one of the last to go, so he had made to leave quickly after his exam, but before he could scurry off a clawed hand had rested gently on his shoulder.

"See me in my office at 4pm this afternoon, Boggs." Randall turned, eyes open wide, to face Dean Hardscrabble herself. She looked at him for only a moment before carrying on to watch the next student take their practical.

In later years, Randall always looked back at his meeting with Dean Hardscrabble fondly. Of course, he'd been terrified at first; she, like most everyone else it seemed, hadn't paid much attention to him up to that point. He certainly hadn't imagined that they were going to have a relatively pleasant chat, especially considering his performance earlier that afternoon.

However, for whatever reason, it seemed as though she had softened just a touch since the Scare Games, and her words, though still stern, were gently encouraging. It was as though she could see Randall's confidence sinking down out of his stomach, through the chair, forming a puddle on the floor as she spoke to him, and she was trying to mop it up. He couldn't remember much of what she had said that day, but one sentence had always stuck with him: "to be a successful Scarer, you have to be scary- but you also have to _know _that you're scary".

It was with these words in mind that Randall started his second year as an undergraduate with renewed conviction. Things would be _different_ this year, he just knew it. And he'd changed, he could tell- he was tougher, stronger.

Unfortunately, whilst they might not have much of a memory for useful facts, students do seem to have a memory for embarrassing incidences, and Randall found himself the target of ridicule once again. He acquired new nicknames, new jokes were played on him, and there was no chance of him joining another fraternity. He hadn't been able to convince other Scare majors to live with him, so he was renting a house off campus with a hodgepodge of apathetic and, quite frankly, miserable second years who spent most of their time indulging in elicit substances. Since he never partook of their offerings, they had largely ignored Randall.

So, that was it. It seemed as if Randall was doomed to loneliness and friendlessness for the remainder of his time at MU.

He often tried to convince himself that he didn't care about his fellow students, and spent most of his time studying or honing his technique. He was finally starting to _know _that he was scary, as Hardscrabble had put it, and it showed in his work.

With this confidence came a sort of arrogance. By his third year, Randall had cemented his place as an outcast on campus: that rare student who was genuinely good at scaring- and was recognised as so- but who had very few friends to speak of and no association with a fraternity. He didn't go to parties, he didn't go to society events or protest rallies. Long gone were the times when he'd bake cupcakes to make friends. Even being nice to people increasingly seemed an effort. He spent most of his time rather sullen, and alone, and he had convinced himself that this was just how he liked it.

This resulted in some complications with his home life, and he distanced himself not only from his fellow students but also from his family. In his final year he didn't go home for Christmas (on a pretence of wanting to study for his exams) and silently a line had been drawn.

Randall graduated second in his class and received several prizes for both his practical and written work. However, he hadn't made waves and whilst several of his lecturers remembered him for his innovative approach, soon after graduation he had been mostly forgotten by his classmates.

Nevertheless, his results allowed him to apply to a host of the top scaring companies in the country- and abroad!- but quietly Randall hoped for something closer to home: Monsters, Incorporated. And so when he got the offer of a job to start after the summer, Randall immediately said yes and cancelled all of his other applications.

Finally, it was his time to shine! His college years had been a blip, and college was overrated anyway- what was the use of it being the 'best time of your life' if you still had a lot of years left in you? No, no, no, Randall said to himself, working at Monsters, Inc.- _that _would be the best time of his life! He could hardly wait.

Little was he to know just _who _awaited him...


End file.
